Shuttlecock



* June 29, 1937.

' c. J. w. LASHLEY ET Al I 2,085,717

SHUTTLECOGK Filed July 15, 1935 l I lira-611767 Patented June 29, 1937 SHUTTLECOCK Charles John William Lasl ley, Edward Emanuel Natali and William Arthur Woolf, London,

England Application July 15, 1935, Serial No. 31,512

In Great Britain July 125, 1934 1 Claim. 01. 273 408) The object of the invention is to produce a shuttlecock for use in a game of miniature badminton, that is, a game similar to the game of badminton but played over a table representing -a badminton court on a reduced scale.

It is insuflicient for this purpose merely to construct a shuttlecock on a reduced scale on the same lines as the regulation badminton shuttlecock.

A proportional reduction in size of the shuttlecock to correspond to the reduced size of the playing area would result in a shuttlecock so small as to be useless.

It has been found by experiment that a miniature shuttlecock requires an increased area of feather in relation to the weight of the shuttlecock as compared with that of an ordinary badminton shuttlecock.

Thus, whereas in the regulation full size badminton shuttlecock, having a cork base, the ratio of weight of shuttlecock to the area of feathers (numbering sixteen) is approximately 16:3, where the weight is expressed in grains and the area in square inches, a ratio of weight to the area of the feathers of the order of 5:2 expressed in the same units, is found to be satisfactory for a miniature shuttlecock capable, when struck forcibly, of falling within the bounds of a table of a similar size to that used in table tennis. With the necessary reduction in the size of the base of the shuttlecock, difficulty is encountered in firmly securing the feathers therein, since the area of the top and the depth of the base prohibit the usual piercing or provision of'holes, which would so weaken the base as to render it incapable of withstanding the severe blows to which it must be subjected.

A miniature shuttlecock having the required characteristics is made according to the invention by forming the base by inserting into a mould a material which is plastic or will allow of the stems of feathers being inserted into it and can afterwards be hardened either by mere exposure to the air and normal temperatures, or can be hardened in any other way as for example by heat and pressure. The stems of the feathers are'thus embedded in the hardened moulded base. v

The mould is of the desired shape and of a determined size to ensure a base of the required shape and weight being obtained and the feathers are of an adequate size and number to give the required area. 7

A material such as plastic wood which can be adjacent to its circumference.

easily moulded and sets or hardens on exposure am be advantageously used for the base.

a positioning element is applied to the plastic mater ia1 in the mould, this element not only doteirmining the position of the stems, but being adapted to permit of the escape, and if desired the removal, of any excess material while the element is-being applied and during the inser-- tion of the stems.

The positioning element may consist of a perforated disc .havingpositioning holes or slots It is preferred to provide it with a bevelled or tapering peripheral edge with the positioning slots therein.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the stems of the feathers through the positioning elementin their correct angular relation to the base of plastic material in the mould, a jig is superposed on the mould and the stems are inserted through the jig and thence through the positioning element into the plastic material in the mould;

The jig may comprise a number of sliding jaws having inclined and slotted edges which, when the jaws are moved together, slightly overlap the positioning element, so that their slots correspond with the holes or slots of the positioning element ready to guide the stems of the feathers therein in the correct angular relation to the base formed in, the mould. The jaws may be moved into position by means of a ring screwed on to the mould and having, a tapered inner face 3 I the invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, a side" view and a plan of one form of positioning element. Figures-5 to 7 are sectional elevations of one form of mould for mouldingthe base and provided with means for facilitating the accurate insertion of the feathers into the base of the shuttlecock, these figures illustrating progressive steps in the method of manufacturing the shuttlecock.

Figure 7a is a fragmentary view illustrating the method of ejecting the moulded base from the mould.

Figure 8 is a plan of the mould, with the upper screwed ring partly broken away.

In the example illustrated by Figures 1 and 2, the shuttlecock has a base I made of the material known as plastic wood, into which the stems of the feathers 2 are forced while the material is in the plastic state.

A base made of this material, having a depth of about inch and a top diameter of about inch, has proved by experiment to be satisfactory with 9 to 12 feathers, each having an overall length of 2 to 2 inches and a feather length of about 1% to 2% inches, the feathers being circularly arranged and spread so as to present at the top a diameter of about 2 to 2%; inches.

They may, in the customary manner, be fastened together by a thread 3 at a position of about inch from the top of the base I.

The feathers are positioned by a positioning disc, the preferred form of which is illustrated by Figures 3 and 4, and designated by the numeral 4.

The disc 4 may be made of any suitable material, for example, cellulose acetate, celluloid, the material known under the registered trade-mark Bakelite, or the material known under the registered trade-mark Erinoid, or it may be made of vulcanite or metal such as aluminium.

It is of circular form having its peripheral edge tapered or inclined as shown.

Notches or grooves 5 are formed in its peripheral edge at equal distances apart.

The notches or grooves 5 incline inwards from top to bottom, in correspondence with the inclination or taper of the peripheral edge of the disc, so that when a feather stem is inserted in a notch 5, the feather is set at an outward inclination.

A central hole 9 passes entirely through the disc for a purpose hereinafter explained.

Alternatively, small circularly arranged inclined holes may be formed in the disc 4, instead of the notches 5.

The method of constructing the base I and inserting the feathers therein so that they are correctly positioned by the disc II will now be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8.

In these figures, I represents a base mould, having a moulding cavity 8 to receive the plastic material which is to form the base of the shuttlecook.

The bottom of the moulding cavity 8 is constituted by the cupped head 8' of a plunger 29 slidably mounted in the mould to facilitate removal of the moulded base. The plunger 29 may, however, be screwed in the mould and bear on or have a freely rotatable connection with the cupped head 8.

Jaws 9 are mounted to slide radially on the base mould I. In their outer position, the jaws afiorcl free access to the cavity 8, for the introduction of the plastic material, and in their inner position, they slightly overlap the edge of the cavity 8. g

In the example illustrated, the jaws 9 are substantially wedge-shaped in plan and are provided on their underside with guide pins II! and guide lugs II.

The guide pins Ill and guide lugs II are received in guide grooves I2.

The guide grooves I2 are narrowed at the inner ends as at I2, and the pins I9 enter these narrower ends I 2' as the jaws approach the limit of their inner radial movement, thereby ensuring accurate guiding of the jaws.

The inner faces of the jaws 9 are inclined in- Wards from top to bottom, and are formed with equally spaced inclined channels I3 in said inclined inner faces, the channels corresponding in number and spacing to the number and spacing of the notches 5 in the disc 4. These inclined channels I 3 form guides for the feather stems, and their inclination, therefore, corresponds to that which the feathers are to assume when inserted in the base.

The outer faces of the jaws 9 are inclined outwards from top to bottom as at I4. The slotted jaws 9 thus constitute a jig.

A screwed ring I5 screws on to the base mould I.

This ring I5 has an inclined inner face I6, the inclination corresponding to that of the outer faces I4 of the jaws 9. 7

Thus, when the ring I5 is screwed down on to the base mould 'Iythe inclined face I6 of the ring I5 is brought into contact with the outer inclined faces M of the jaws 9, and by a wedging action, slides said jaws inwards to form between them a central conical opening.-

In carrying out the method of moulding the base and inserting the feathers therein, the ring I5 is screwed back to release the jaws 9 which are pressed outwards to afford free access to the cavity 8.

The plastic material I, which is advantageously plastic wood, is filled into the cavity 8, the plunger 29 being in the lowered position, as shown in Figure 5 to '7, so that its cupped head 8' forms the bottom of said cavity.

The disc 4 is placed over the filling l with its face of smaller diameter on the under side, and with the notches 5 in its inclined edge in correspondence with the inclined channels [3 in the jaws 9.

The disc 4, so set, is then pressed into the filling I until its face is substantially level with thetop face of the base mould 1, any surplus filling extruded being removed.

The ring I5 is now screwed down to slide the jaws 9 of the jig inwards.

As the jaws 9 approach the limit of their inward movement, their bottom edges ride over the top edge of the disc 4, so that when the jaws 9 complete their inward movement, their bottom edges slightly overlap the top edge of the disc 4 and hold it in position.

Excess filling is forced out through the hole 6 in the disc 4, and is removed.

The feather stems are arranged in the inclined channels I3 of the jaws 9, and pressed through the inclined notches 5 in the disc 4, into the filling I, the channels I3 serving as guide channels, which ensure setting of the feathers at the correct inclination during the insertion.

The filling displaced by the insertion of the feather stems is extruded through the hole 6 in the disc and is removed.

The ring I5 may now be slackened back, and the jaws pressed back into their outer position to permit the base I with the feathers inserted therein to be removed from the mould and allowed to set hard, or the base I may be allowed to remain in the mould until it has set hard and is then removed.

Removal of the moulded base I 'is effected by The disc 4, together with the feather stems,

will then be found to be firmly embedded in the base I, and the feathers fixed in their correct angular position in the notches 5 of the disc 4.

The feathers 2 may now be fastened together by the thread 3, which is attached by adhesive in the usual manner.

If desired, the disc 4 may be employed merely as a supplementary guide to the guide channels [3, during the insertion of the feather stems in the base, the disc 4 being removed when the feathers have been inserted.

In an alternative method of manufacture, the feathers may be supported in correct angular position by the positioning disc 4, with their stems inserted in the mould 1, and liquefied material, which sets hard or can be hardened, is poured into the mould and allowed to set, or is hardened.

The material may be pitch or artificial resin, for example.

We claim:-

A miniature or short flight shuttlecock comprising a solid base of hardened plastic Wood, a perforated positioning disc embedded in and adhering to the upper part of said base, and feathers having their stems passing through said disc and embedded in said solid hardened plastic wood.

CHARLES JOHN WILLIAM LASI-ILEY EDWARD EMANUEL NATALI. WILLIAM ARTHUR WOOLF. 

